Vascular endothelial growth factor controls neuronal migration and cooperates with SemaSA to pattern distinct compartments of the facial nerve

Quenten Schwarz, Chenghua Gu, Hajime Fujisawa, Kimberly Sabelko, Marina Gertsenstein, Andras Nagy, Masahiko Taniguchi, Alex L. Kolodkin, David D. Ginty, David T. Shima, Christiana Ruhrberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

153 Scopus citations

Abstract

Developing neurons accurately position their somata within the neural tube to make contact with appropriate neighbors and project axons to their preferred targets. Taking advantage of a collection of genetically engineered mouse mutants, we now demonstrate that the behavior of somata and axons of the facial nerve is regulated independently by two secreted ligands for the transmembrane receptor neuropilin 1 (Nrp1), the semaphorin Sema3A and the VEGF164 isoform of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. Although Sema3A is known to control the guidance of facial nerve axons, we now show that it is not required for the pathfinding of their somata. Vice versa, we find that VEGF164 is not required for axon guidance of facial motor neurons, but is essential for the correct migration of their somata. These observations demonstrate, for the first time, that VEGF contributes to neuronal patterning in vivo, and that different compartments of one cell can be co-ordinately patterned by structurally distinct ligands for a shared receptor.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2822-2834
Number of pages13
JournalGenes and Development
Volume18
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 15 2004

Keywords

  • Axon guidance
  • Neuronal migration
  • Neuropilin
  • Semaphorins
  • VEGF

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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